The present invention relates to a safety ashtray.
A standard ashtray is formed by a wall around a large center opening to receive cigarette ashes and butts. People using the ashtray tend to place their cigarettes on the rim or wall of the ashtray with the burning end in and the butt hanging outwardly of the ashtray. As the cigarette burns down it becomes butt end heavy at which point the cigarette will then fall out of the ashtray. This is a major cause of fires because people will often forget their cigarette leaving it burning in the above position in the ashtray.
I have already patented a safety ashtray covered by U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,988 issued May 1, 1990. In that patent I describe a safety ashtray on which cigarettes are placed in an upwardly inwardly angled position. As the cigarettes burn, they remain on the side wall of the ashtray rather than falling to the outside of the ashtray.
From a safety standpoint, my earlier patented ashtray is extremely beneficial. For example, if a person were to leave a cigarette unattended on the safety ashtray, there is essentially no likelihood of the cigarette falling from the ashtray and creating a fire hazard.
The present invention, like the subject matter of my earlier patent, relates to a safety ashtray including improvements to the ashtray.
More particularly, the safety ashtray of the present invention has a sloping cover over a hollow ash and butt receiving interior region. The cover has at least one access to the interior region and further includes a plurality of cigarette rest areas spaced from one another on the cover.
In accordance with the present invention, each rest area includes an upper and a lower cigarette catch with both of the catches extending upwardly from the cover, the sloping of which locates the upper catch more centrally of the ashtray than the lower catch.
The purpose of the catches is to receive a cigarette in a manner to prevent the cigarette from rolling on the ashtray while at the same time elevating the cigarette away from the cover which improves the burning qualities and taste of the cigarette.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the cover further includes a plurality of finned regions which separate the cigarette rest areas from one another. These finned regions act as ash traps and butt out locations for the cigarettes.